I picked up the pen and signed my name. “Is that all you need?”

The lawyer checked the signature and nodded. “That’s all. Thank you.”

I hopped off the stool and brushed past Jude without looking at him. I heard the man say something, and Jude followed with the words, “excuse me for a minute, Will.”

Heavy footsteps pounded behind me. “Eden.”

I ignored Jude and picked up my pace down the long hallway.

“Eden.” His calloused, paint-stained fingers wrapped around my arm, and he spun me around to face him. I still hadn’t learned to steel myself against the impact of his gaze. “This is something my dad has everyone sign. He has to protect himself from lawsuits and slander. This had nothing to do with me.”

An angry laugh escaped me. “That’s funny. All of a sudden, you’re concerned about my opinion of you.” I tried to pull from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. “Can I go back upstairs?” My traitorous confidence had vanished and my voice wavered.

“Eden, I do want you to stay. Finley likes you. She doesn’t put trust in many people.” His grasp on my arm loosened, and he dropped his hand. Strangely enough, the heat from his fingers lingered on my skin as if he still touched me.

“You’re as changeable as your sister.”

“I know. You were right last night—” He smiled down at the floor and then lifted his face. “—when you basically laid me flat for my ignorance.”

I looked at him. “You know, Finley has a voodoo doll for people like you.”

“Yeah. I guess I’m destined to spend eternity on a roller coaster.”

I continued to the staircase but was acutely aware of the fact that he watched me walk away. I got to Finley’s door and knocked but didn’t wait to be invited inside.

She was staring at the monitor. “Come see this one, Eden. I think the color would be great on your olive skin.”

“I have no money for a suit and you’re a coward.”

She didn’t respond at first but then swiveled her chair around. “I’m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but I was afraid you’d pack up and leave.”

“I’m not fickle like that. And it would have been a lot easier to swallow coming from you.”

“I really am sorry, Eden. I won’t betray your trust again. Now, let me make it up to you by buying you a swimsuit.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I really do. Of course, it’ll probably be a big mistake. After seeing both my brothers react to you in that unflattering suit, I’m not completely sure what will happen if you walk out in a stunning suit. Should be entertaining. Check out this pink bikini.”

I looked over her shoulder. “It’s cute.”

She looked back at me. “Hmm, size six, I think.” She tapped the keyboard a few times. “Done. It’s coming overnight. Now let’s go down and eat. I’m starved and I want to attempt our first goal. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think with you by my side, I can do this.”

Chapter 9

Cole was leaning in the fridge groaning about the absence of lunch. He pulled out a can of soda and slammed shut the door. “I thought Jude was supposed to hire another chef. I’m going to waste away to nothing.”

Finley pushed by him with a disgusted sigh. “Not you too. By the way, where’s the dark half of the sulk and whine duo?”

“He’s down in the garage tuning up his Harley. Just watch, as soon as that ankle monitor comes off, he’s going to fly out of here like The Flash. And he’ll leave us all to starve to death without a chef.”

“You guys are ridiculously helpless. There’s bread and there’s cheese.” Finley opened the fridge and pulled out tomatoes and lettuce. “There are even veggies for a sandwich.”

“Yeah, that’s great for a rabbit like you, but I need to gnaw on some flesh.”

I looked down at Some Pig. “Cover your ears, S.P.”

Cole scowled down at the pig. “Yeah, cover ‘em, Dude. You’re the reason bacon, the finest food on earth, was banned from this house.”

Finley elbowed Cole out of her way at the counter. “Shit, you’re cranky.”

“I know. My arm hurts like hell, and there’s no damn food to eat.”

Finley lifted up a slice of bread. “Do you want a sandwich or not? Final offer.”

“Nah, I’m going out for a burger.” He left the kitchen.

I picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes. “He was definitely in a bad mood.”

“Yeah, that’s unusual for Cole. Jude is almost always brooding about something, but Cole just coasts from day to day with hardly a worry in his pretty boy head.” She spread some mayo on the bread. “I think he and Jude had an argument earlier. Cole texted me about it while you were downstairs with Jude.”

“Do they fight a lot?”

“Not really. They get along most of the time. Cole invited someone to the party that Jude doesn’t like, so they got into it. Sometimes Cole is just plain stupid, and sometimes Jude is just too bossy. It makes for trouble. But this time I sided with Jude, so Cole is extra pissed.” She cut the sandwich in half, and we each took our share. “Let’s eat fast. The longer I think about our little adventure, the less likely I am to try it.”

We decided to leave Some Pig behind. It was one less worry for Finley, and he seemed just as pleased to curl up in front of the television. Finley left soap operas on for him, and we headed out in tense silence as if we were about to explore a new and forbidden planet. In a way, I guess it was like that for Finley.

The same woman who’d passed the pool yesterday, walked by us today. “How’s it going?” she muttered as she sidled past us and on to the pool house.

Finley didn’t answer her. She was deep in thought.

“So where does this self-constructed fence begin?” I asked, deciding if I allowed her to dwell too long on her thoughts, she’d turn around and head back.

“The end of the hedge, where the massive stretch of lawn begins, that’s where my world stops and the other world begins.” She stopped and took hold of my arm. “I’m not sure about this, Eden. Today already started out badly.”

“Right. So the bad stuff is already out of the way. Let’s at least make it to the edge before you decide to turn back.”

Finley’s mouth was drawn tight as she considered my proposal. “All right, let’s get to the end of the hedge and then we’ll see. But it’s not looking good at this point.”

An incredibly long, perfectly trimmed hedge grew along one side of the yard. There was a pathway of bricks running parallel with it, and we walked along it in silence. The tension and fear radiating from Finley was palpable. And then I thought about back at home when Sophie or Janie had had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would get their minds off the nightmare by bringing up a different subject that interested them. For Janie, it was dolls, and for Sophie, it was princess stories, but I had the perfect topic for Finley. I knew that Finley’s fear was on a whole different level than a bad dream but getting her mind off our task seemed like a plausible tactic.

“What is Max like?” I asked.

The edge of the hedge was in sight, and Finley eyed it with trepidation for a second before answering. “He’s got long brown hair and brown eyes and he has a great smile.” The tension slowly drained from her voice. “His father is a big shot producer, and they have megabucks but Max doesn’t let it go to his head. He’s super down to earth, and he makes me laugh.”

“Humor has to be my favorite traits in a guy. I mean broad shoulders and a sexy smile are great, but if a guy can’t make me laugh then he’s history,” I said.

Things were going smoothly and Finley had definitely loosened up, but when we reached the edge of the hedge, she stopped abruptly as if there was a glass wall in front of her. I took a step past the hedge and then turned back to her. Some of the color had drained from her face, and I was having doubts about my bright idea.